Stay aware of mouth cancer

A local trust taking part in a national campaign is hoping to save thousands of lives through the early detection of mouth cancer.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) is taking part in Mouth Cancer Action Month and will be holding a stall at Pilgrim Hospital on November 5 to raise awareness of the illness.

The stall will be at the hospital from 10am-2pm.

Oral Health Promoter at LCHS Gina Hargrave said: “It is so important that we help to get the message out there. Mouth cancer can affect anyone, so it is vital that we remind people to attend regular check-ups at the dentist. The earlier it is detected, the higher the chance of survival.”

As part of the campaign, people are being asked to share a ‘blue lip selfie’ to social media using the hashtag #bluelipselfie as a visual sign of support.

Gina added: “As part of our promotional stands, we will be giving the public the chance to do their own selfie. It’s a fun way of getting people involved and we hope that by sharing it on our Twitter page, we will help towards increasing awareness.”

LCHS will also be hosting stalls at Johnson Community Hospital, in Spalding, on November 10, and John Coupland Hospital, in Gainsborough, November 12.